The 1998 Atlantic hurricane season was the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation over the Atlantic Ocean north of the equator. The season officially began on June 1 and ended on November 30. This is historically the period during which most subtropical or tropical cyclogenesis occurs over the Atlantic Ocean. The season's first storm, Tropical Storm Alex, formed on July 27; its last, Hurricane Nicole, dissipated on December 1.

The 1998 season generated fourteen named tropical storms, which was above average; ten became hurricanes, of which three intensified into major hurricanes. Ten of these storms formed during a five-week period at the height of the season, August 19September 23. Four hurricanes—Georges, Ivan, Jeanne, and Karl—were simultaneously active on September 25, a single-day record.

The two most significant storms of the season, in terms of loss of life and damage, were hurricanes Georges and Mitch. Georges moved from the Caribbean Sea to the Gulf of Mexico and ultimately to the United States Gulf Coast, resulting extensive damage and a large number of fatalities, especially in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Mitch formed over the southwestern Caribbean Sea and then moved slowly over Central America, causing catastrophic flooding and leaving more than 11,000 people dead, making it the second deadliest Atlantic hurricane in history after the Great Hurricane of 1780.

This timeline documents tropical cyclone formations, strengthening, weakening, landfalls, extratropical transitions, and dissipations during the season. It includes information that was not released throughout the season, meaning that data from post-storm reviews by the National Hurricane Center, such as a storm that was not initially warned upon, has been included.

The time stamp for each event is first stated using Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the 24-hour clock where 00:00 = midnight UTC. The NHC uses both UTC and the time zone where the center of the tropical cyclone is currently located. The time zones utilized (east to west) prior to 2020 were: Atlantic, Eastern, and Central. In this timeline, the respective area time is included in parentheses. Additionally, figures for maximum sustained winds and position estimates are rounded to the nearest 5 units (miles, or kilometers), following National Hurricane Center practice. Direct wind observations are rounded to the nearest whole number. Atmospheric pressures are listed to the nearest millibar and nearest hundredth of an inch of mercury.

Timeline

June

June 1 The 1998 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins.

July July 27 12:00 UTC (8:00 a.m. AST) at Tropical Depression One develops from a tropical wave about south-southwest of Cape Verde.

July 29 00:00 UTC (8:00 p.m. AST, July 28) at Tropical Depression One strengthens into Tropical Storm Alex about west of Cape Verde.

July 31

00:00 UTC (8:00 p.m. AST, July 30) at Tropical Storm Alex attains its peak intensity, with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum central pressure of , about east of Martinique.The figures for maximum sustained winds and position estimates are rounded to the nearest 5 units (knots, miles, or kilometers), following the convention used in the National Hurricane Center's operational products for each storm. All other units are rounded to the nearest digit.

August August 2 18:00 UTC (2:00 p.m. AST) at Tropical Storm Alex weakens into a tropical depression about north-northeast of Martinique, dissipating shortly thereafter.

August 19 12:00 UTC (8:00 a.m. AST) at Tropical Depression Two develops from a tropical wave about east of Barbuda.

August 20 12:00 UTC (8:00 a.m. AST) at Tropical Depression Two strengthens into Tropical Storm Bonnie about east of Barbuda.

August 21 06:00 UTC (1:00 a.m. CDT) at Tropical Depression Three forms from an area of unsettled weather about east of Brownsville, Texas. 18:00 UTC (1:00 p.m. CDT) at Tropical Depression Three strengthens into Tropical Storm Charley about east of Brownsville.

August 22

00:00 UTC (8:00 p.m. EDT, August 21) at Tropical Storm Bonnie strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane about north-northeast of Cabo Engaño, Dominican Republic. 06:00 UTC (1:00 a.m. CDT) at Tropical Storm Charley attains peak maximum sustained winds of about southeast of Port Aransas, Texas. 10:00 UTC (5:00 a.m. CDT) at Tropical Storm Charley makes landfall near Port Aransas as it attains a minimum central pressure of , accompanied by maximum sustained winds of . 18:00 UTC (2:00 p.m. EDT) at Hurricane Bonnie strengthens to Category 2 intensity about east-southeast of San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. 18:00 UTC (1:00 p.m. CDT) at Tropical Storm Charley weakens into a tropical depression over land about west-northwest of Port Aransas.

August 23 12:00 UTC (8:00 a.m. EDT) at Hurricane Bonnie strengthens to Category 3 intensity about east of San Salvador Island.

August 24 00:00 UTC (8:00 p.m. EDT, August 23) at Hurricane Bonnie attains its peak intensity, with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum central pressure of , about east-northeast of San Salvador Island. 00:00 UTC (7:00 p.m. CDT, August 23) at Tropical Depression Charley is last noted as a tropical cyclone over land about west of Del Rio, Texas, dissipating shortly thereafter. 06:00 UTC (2:00 a.m. AST) at Tropical Depression Four forms from a tropical wave about west of Cape Verde. 18:00 UTC (2:00 p.m. AST) at Tropical Depression Four strengthens into Tropical Storm Danielle about west of Cape Verde.

August 25 12:00 UTC (8:00 a.m. AST) at Tropical Storm Danielle strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane about west of Cape Verde.

August 26

06:00 UTC (2:00 a.m. AST) at Hurricane Danielle strengthens to Category 2 intensity about east of Barbuda, and simultaneously attains peak maximum sustained winds of . 18:00 UTC (2:00 p.m. AST) at Hurricane Danielle weakens to Category 1 intensity about east-northeast of Barbuda.

August 27 00:00 UTC (8:00 p.m. EDT, August 26) at Hurricane Bonnie weakens to Category 2 intensity about southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina. 04:00 UTC (12:00 a.m. EDT) at Hurricane Bonnie makes landfall about northeast of Wilmington with maximum sustained winds of and a central pressure of . 06:00 UTC (2:00 a.m. AST) at Hurricane Danielle restrengthens to Category 2 intensity about east-northeast of Barbuda. 12:00 UTC (8:00 a.m. AST) at Hurricane Danielle reattains peak maximum sustained winds of about northeast of Barbuda. 12:00 UTC (8:00 a.m. EDT) at Hurricane Bonnie weakens to Category 1 intensity over land about northeast of Wilmington. 18:00 UTC (2:00 p.m. EDT) at Hurricane Bonnie weakens into a tropical storm over land about west-northwest of Ocracoke, North Carolina.

August 28 00:00 UTC (8:00 p.m. EDT, August 27) at Tropical Storm Bonnie restrengthens into a Category 1 hurricane as it moves off the Outer Banks about north of Ocracoke. 00:00 UTC (8:00 p.m. AST, August 27) at Hurricane Danielle weakens back to Category 1 intensity about north of Barbuda. 18:00 UTC (2:00 p.m. EDT) at Hurricane Bonnie weakens back into a tropical storm about east of Cape Henry, Virginia.

August 30

18:00 UTC (2:00 p.m. AST) at Tropical Storm Bonnie transitions into an extratropical cyclone about south-southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland, and later dissipates when it is absorbed by a weather front.

August 31 12:00 UTC (8:00 a.m. EDT) at Hurricane Danielle restrengthens to Category 2 intensity about northeast of Nassau, Bahamas, and simultaneously attains peak maximum sustained winds of for the third time. 12:00 UTC (7:00 a.m. CDT) at The fifth tropical depression of the season forms from a tropical wave in the Gulf of Mexico roughly halfway between Mérida, Yucatán and Tampico, Tamaulipas. 18:00 UTC (1:00 p.m. CDT) at The fifth tropical depression of the season strengthens into Tropical Storm Earl about south-southwest of New Orleans, Louisiana.

September September 1 18:00 UTC (2:00 p.m. EDT) at After weakening slightly, Hurricane Danielle attains peak maximum sustained winds of for the fourth and final time about west of Bermuda.

September 2

00:00 UTC (8:00 p.m. AST, September 1) at Hurricane Danielle weakens back to Category 1 intensity about west-northwest of Bermuda. 12:00 UTC (7:00 a.m. CDT) at Tropical Storm Earl strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane about south-southeast of New Orleans. 18:00 UTC (1:00 p.m. CDT) at Hurricane Earl strengthens to Category 2 intensity about southeast of New Orleans, and simultaneously attains peak maximum sustained winds of .

September 3 00:00 UTC (7:00 p.m CDT, September 2) at Hurricane Earl weakens to Category 1 intensity about southwest of Panama City, Florida, but simultaneously attains a minimum central pressure of . 06:00 UTC (2:00 a.m. AST) at Hurricane Danielle attains a minimum central pressure of about southwest of Cape Race, Newfoundland. 06:00 UTC (1:00 a.m. CDT) at Hurricane Earl makes landfall near Panama City with maximum sustained winds of and a central pressure of . 12:00 UTC (7:00 a.m. CDT) at Hurricane Earl weakens into a tropical storm over land about northeast of Panama City. 18:00 UTC (1:00 p.m. CDT) at Tropical Storm Earl transitions into an extratropical cyclone over central Georgia, and subsequently, after moving northeastward away from the Southeastern United States and then crossing over Newfoundland, is absorbed by the extratropical cyclone that was Hurricane Danielle.

September 4 00:00 UTC (8:00 p.m. AST, September 3) at Hurricane Danielle transitions into an extratropical cyclone about east-southeast of Cape Race, and later dissipates when it merges with another extratropical low.

September 8 18:00 UTC (1:00 p.m. CDT) at Tropical Depression Six forms from a broad low-pressure area about east of Brownsville.

September 9 18:00 UTC (1:00 p.m. CDT) at Tropical Depression Six strengthens into Tropical Storm Frances about southeast of Brownsville.

September 11

00:00 UTC (7:00 p.m. CDT, September 10) at Tropical Storm Frances attains peak maximum sustained winds of about east-southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas. 06:00 UTC (1:00 a.m. CDT) at Tropical Storm Frances attains a minimum central pressure of as it makes landfall about northeast of Corpus Christi with maximum sustained winds of .

September 12 00:00 UTC (7:00 p.m. CDT, September 11) at Tropical Storm Frances weakens into a tropical depression over land about north-northeast of Corpus Christi.

September 13 18:00 UTC (1:00 p.m. CDT) at Tropical Depression Frances is last noted as a tropical cyclone over land about northwest of Dallas, Texas. It degenerates into a remnant low shortly thereafter, and later dissipates over Iowa.

September 15 12:00 UTC (8:00 a.m. AST) at Tropical Depression Seven forms from a tropical wave about south-southwest of Cape Verde.

September 16 12:00 UTC (8:00 a.m. AST) at Tropical Depression Seven strengthens into Tropical Storm Georges about west-southwest of Cape Verde.

September 17 12:00 UTC (7:00 a.m. CDT) at Tropical Depression Eight forms from a tropical wave over the north-central Gulf of Mexico, about south of Cocodrie, Louisiana. 18:00 UTC (2:00 p.m. AST) at Tropical Storm Georges strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane about west of Cape Verde.

September 18 12:00 UTC (8:00 a.m. AST) at Hurricane Georges strengthens to Category 2 intensity about east of Guadeloupe.

September 19

00:00 UTC (8:00 p.m. AST, September 18) at Tropical Depression Nine forms from a tropical wave about southwest of Cape Verde. 12:00 UTC (8:00 a.m. AST) at Hurricane Georges strengthens to Category 3 intensity about east of Guadeloupe. 12:00 UTC (7:00 a.m. CDT) at Tropical Depression Eight strengthens into Tropical Storm Hermine about south-southwest of Cocodrie. 18:00 UTC (2:00 p.m. AST) at Hurricane Georges strengthens to Category 4 intensity about east of Guadeloupe.

September 20